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So I don’t know how else to explain this but to put it down as a pregnancy side effect – though it’s not one that I’ve ever heard of or read in the many, many books on pregnancy that I’ve picked up – but I’m randomly not as afraid of spiders as I used to be. It’s actually quite shocking. I’ve killed 3 spiders (and attempted murder on 1 more… more on that in a bit…) in the past 2 weeks which probably matches the total number of spiders I’ve killed by myself in my entire life.

You might think, “Yeah, well, you’re alone in your house a lot when Alex works, so that would explain it,” except it doesn’t. Only one of those spider-killing-occasions happened when I was alone (and technically, Alex was home it’s just that he was asleep and I didn’t want to wake him up (although I certainly have woken him up in the past to perform that duty). Oh and today’s attempted murder happened while I was alone. But still – the spider today was so big that usually it would be enough to send me screaming. I mean, seriously – it was the size of a ping pong ball and I discovered it when I moved a towel on a pile of towels to be cleaned by the washing machine, so I almost touched it. But instead I backed away, stared at it for a minute (assessing its ability to run at me – it seemed pretty content on the towels), and then grabbed a Swiffer Sweeper and attacked it. Unfortunately, since it was on top of a pile of towels, I have no clue if I even injured it and my bravery didn’t last to the extent that I would actually investigate that. But I have returned to the basement twice since then, which is a huge step for me.

I’m not saying that I’m not afraid of spiders anymore, because I certainly don’t think that’s the case, but I’m not experiencing that visceral feeling of blind panic as a reaction right now – and that’s kind of nice.

Seriously, if you know me, you know that I’m *terrified* of spiders. Right now, as I type this, I’m staring at that horrific, horrific spider picture freaking the F out and imagining that I have something crawling on me (OMG). Is that not the ugliest evilist looking thing ever? It is.

Apparently, Mazda is issuing a recall of 2009-2010 Mazda 6s because they’ve had problems with spiders (EVIL) crawling up inside them. OMG EW. Seriously, if I was in my car and spiders started crawling out of the air vents I would die. I would bail out of the car or run off the road or just die of fear. That is pretty much one of the worst things I can think of. I once did drive off the road because a spider was crawling across my dashboard. Another time I almost hit a car in front of me while sitting in traffic with my arm on my window and a spider CRAWLED ACROSS IT. UGH.

Seriously, that spider picture is FREAKING me out. I think it moved.

Also, apparently they can crawl up in your gas grill line and cause fires. SPIDERS ARE EVIL.

Yellow Sac Spider Causes Horrifying Recall

Mazda is issuing a recall because spiders (YES, SPIDERS) have crawled into as many as 52,000 2009-2010 Mazda 6s.

Once inside the charcoal evaporative canister, they can spin webs inside the vent line, which block airflow and decrease overall performance in the car.

According to Mazda, the spiders (dear God, the SPIDERS) haven’t caused any fires or any other casualties, so far. But recalled cars will have a spring valve installed to prevent the spiders from getting into the vent line. As a remedy, Mazda dealers will inspect and clean the canister line and install a spring to prevent spider infestation.

To make matters worse, these aren’t run of the mill, casual spiders. In fact, these are biting spiders.

OK, so all spiders bite. But these are venomous and, though not fatal, are usually quite painful. A person usually develops redness, swelling, and itching near the site of the bite — somewhat akin to a wasp sting. Their bites are often misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites.

Can you imagine if you had a colony of these in your car? OK, stop imagining that. It’s too horrifying.

Apparently, this isn’t the first time that spiders have caused problems for consumers. They can also crawl into the canisters on gas grills and obstruct the flow there, too. They crawl in, spin webs, build nests, and lay eggs in the grill’s gas, which can cause the backed-up heat to “flashback,” possibly severely injuring people.

About Ali

I'm a mom to a gorgeous little guy named Max. I work outside the home full time, but in my "spare" time I love learning and am always working on projects that let me broaden my knowledge of sewing, photography, and any number of things that pique my interest!